History

Our congregation dates back to the 1820’s in St. Louis. Our first sanctuary was constructed at 4th and Myrtle. In 1839, we became the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Responding to the growth of St. Louis, the congregation purchased land in the Lucas Place area of the city, our current location. In 1869 our current sanctuary was constructed. The church grew in size dramatically into the early 20th century. The Centenary congregation, on New Year’s Eve 1900, decided to stay in our current location. Many other churches were moving west, but Centenary decided to stay in Downtown St. Louis. An extension to the building was added in 1924, adding much needed office and classroom space. When the Plaza Square Apartments were constructed, Centenary Church remained in the middle of the development, as a vital partner in urban renewal. On New Year’s Eve 2000, we recommitted ourselves to Downtown St. Louis.

In honor of our 175th Anniversary Celebration held in December of 2014, a timeline was constructed depicting the history of Centenary in photographs and articles. We plan to keep this timeline up, outside our sanctuary, for anyone who is interested to visit. Call the church office at 314-526-0030 X101 for more information.